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FACT: Lebanon has a collective staring problem. And if you never had one, move to Lebanon. You’ll be staring people down before you can say “Who me? Never!”

I’m not one of those girls that’s covered up in piercings nor do I walk around with a green Mohawk on my head wondering why people are piercing holes through my back. But at times, even in my least dainty of days, I find myself trying to dodge the most persistent of stares. The ones I’ve harboured the most anger for throughout the years: stares from strangers that happen to be standing right in one’s face. Really? People actually stop to stare whilst making eye-contact with you? In this city, Absolutely!

Let me give you some background on this. In my early teenage years my mother would take me out shopping, and while we’d both scan the racks, each in her own age-appropriate corner, my mother’s efforts would be thwarted by my somewhat distressed voice. She’d hurry over only to find me telling a complete stranger to stop staring at me. She never understood why it ticked me off so much. It’s rude I’d tell her. Be flattered, she’d say.

As the years went by, I learned to live with it, like most of us do with loosing battles. My friends and I always withstand the gorging stares of two men or women from a nearby table in a coffee shop, hoping they’ll just have enough. They seldom do.

So a couple of days back, I was standing at register in ABC paying, when a woman stood right by me, instead of waiting her turn BEHIND me. She got fixated and gave me the full-out scan treatment, her head doing titling motions, she even peeked in my handbag at one point. I was frozen, caught between calling her out and just letting it go. I hate public scenes and I knew she just wouldn’t get what the fuss was about, staring came so naturally to her.I let it go, like I do so often. It comes with the turf. You can take it or leave it. I’m officially an enabler.

He was my best friend- we met in college and hit it off right away. We started so much shit together and always found ourselves in A LOT of trouble. We once picked a fight with a group of guys at a Subway and almost got our butts kicked- he bitched slapped one of them and we ran for it.

I was in a long term relationship and he had many flings and we’d always laugh about the clingy ones. Our friends were convinced we were hiding something- we weren’t. Sure he was possessive and intimated guys that would hit on me but it was just his way of being my friend.

We had a pact that no matter what happens we’d remain the closest of friends. Cheesy but necessary when you’re about to move continents. After months of drunken Skype calls I stopped hearing from him. So I called, left voicemails and dozens of emails. It was borderline stalking. He seemed to have disappeared off the face of the earth, only he was still active on Facebook.

Then one afternoon I received a message notification, it was him, he was asking me to stop trying to contact him.It went a little something like this:

“I’m deleting you from my facebook to cut communication with you (yady yady yada.) My friendship with you is disrupting affect my current relationship (blah blah blah.) Also, your posts on my wall have been intrusive and disrespectful.( it was just a video of a monkey scratching his privates, lighten up buddy) As you know I have met someone very special, who I am in love with and who I want to keep in my life. This will be the last communication between us.” ( Good luck , she seems supportive)

And that was it. Six years of a friendship over,just like that.. At first I was furious with him for being such a pushover, I vowed never to speak to him again, then I blamed his girl and felt sorry for him for being with such a control freak. Four years later, I just miss my best buddy. I think it’s time to crack open that bottle of wine. Bisoux

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It seems to me a woman has two choices at the workplace nowadays. And very narrow ones mind you. Either she’s eager and enthusiastic, at the risk of being perhaps somewhat of a pushover. Or she can choose to have her defences up at all times, turn her attitude meter on high and set herself up as unapproachable. I don’t like to generalize- although I often do. And I’m very well aware of the prejudices that come along with categorizing people, although it often helps me put things into perspective.

Roula and Heba both work at the same interior design firm. They started out at roughly the same time and hold the exact same position-hierarchly speaking. Roula has always been eager to please while Heba’s known around the office for harbouring some attitude. Since their boss would rather avoid than confront, last minute requests usually land on Roula’s desk, that means more late hours for Roula while Heba gets to bounce early each day. Now in a just world, Roula would get the nod from management while Heba would be perceived as the underperformer. In a just world.

Unfortunately for Roula, she was always expected to do more, so when she wouldn’t deliver something mind-blowing the boss would let her have it. On the other hand, when Heba would demonstrate more enthusiasm and present something above mediocre, her work would be applauded. At the end of the year both Roula and Heba got equal pay raises. Although this sounds like an isolated incident- it actually isn’t. Many women resort to being “difficult” in order to survive at work. What do you think, do nice girls finish last?

Disclaimer: Although similar incidents can occur with men at the workplace, that’s an entire different ball game that I will get into at a later time, the fact of the matter is, men have it easier in the workplace, especially in Lebanon. Big statement- but I can back it up.

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You know the Lebanese Music Industry has reached rock bottom when an 80’s has-been who goes by the name of Clauda Chemali (ask your moms about her) makes a come-back by advertently recycling and downright copying direct scenes from Britney Spears Toxic Video- and calls the song- get this-“Bowsa Qatoulieh”– meaning- “Toxic Kiss” firstly thinking she can pull it off (shudder) and more importantly thinking this would go by unnoticed?!

What makes this even worse: The song is a HIT! Yes, if you could get yourself to tune into a cheese factory Arabic music channel for more than five minutes (I was at the dentist’s waiting room, I swear) you would most likely be exposed to this truly toxic song. She even has Robots dancing dabkeh while she performs.

I’ve gone ahead and taken some snapshots with my phone, I couldn’t believe my eyes. What planet do we live on?